I got shot at the range

cscoios · January 21, 2006, 01:17 PM

After shooting I was sweeping up my brass when I got nailed square in the back. I had my back to the range and felt an enormous thud and pain.

All the range lanes were full and everyone was firing, I have no idea who it was. Obviously, it was deflected from the range or trap and sent back towards the booth where I was. I've been hit with little pieces of shrapnel before, but nothing serious like this. It took my breath away. I kept feeling around my back expecting to feel a hole or some blood. I told the range officers about what happened and they said similar incidents have happened before, thats why its so important to wear eye protection. What kinda response it that?

I have to sign a waiver everytime I enter the range- basically that they are not liable in the event something like this happens or you get killed.

When I got home and took my shirt off my wife said the skin was broken and a nice welt in the center of my back. She asked if I wanted body armor for my birthday.

Has this happened to anybody else?

High Planes Drifter · January 21, 2006, 01:22 PM

Never anything serious like that. Your lucky. I had a reload come back at me once when I was shooting my Taurus .45 Colt revolver in the woods, it bruised my foot. Glad your ok.

Harley Quinn · January 21, 2006, 02:13 PM

Since the round would have been spent did you find it?
If the area was clean and inside, I would think you would have found the spent round?

HQ

cscoios · January 21, 2006, 02:21 PM

HQ- I didn't think of this until I was driving on the way home. I would have liked to have seen the size of the slug that hit me. I wasn't thinking all that clearly after the incident.

The range was over crowded and at the time my lane was the only one clean. With all the people and extra brass, don't know if I would have found it anyway.

I'm OK, thankfully it didn't hit me in the face or I would have been down on the ground for sure.

ClarkEMyers · January 21, 2006, 03:27 PM

Not the first time it's happened but perhaps it's wise to avoid a crowded range.

It wasn't me but we had a case where somebody who was not shooting stepped onto the range to exchange a few words without eye protection and lost an eye.

I'd look at the range layout for obvious rebound hazards if it has happened repeatedly. I'd worry about lead dust coming back as well. Or I'd try another range.

Alfa One · January 21, 2006, 03:41 PM

I once got a seriuos richocet back nearby my private parts while we were shooting steel plates. When we do it now, I keep my mouth closed, hoping nothing will hit my face.

aerod1 · January 21, 2006, 04:23 PM

I have had a piece ricochet off the back stop and actually cut my skin on the left side of my stomach. It actually grazed the left side. Never an entire bullet that was still intact.

Jim

ocabj · January 21, 2006, 04:42 PM

Quote:

I told the range officers about what happened and they said similar incidents have happened before, thats why its so important to wear eye protection. What kinda response it that?

Actually, it's a pretty fair response. You got hit by a ricochet / bullet splatter. It happens. I've never taken a hit from a full on bullet ricochet, but I don't shoot indoors and don't participate in IPSC/IDPA or other activity that involves close range shooting on metal targets.

What kind of range where you at? Indoors? Do you have metal hangers? If so, someone probably shot one and that's how it came back.

Hollow points tend to split into smaller fragments and that could also have been a contributer to the ricochet.

But, yes, that's why it's important to wear eye protection. Not just for blowback from firearms, but from ricochets from bullets and/or fragments.

joab · January 21, 2006, 04:49 PM

I was hit in the face just below my glasses by something

It cut my cheek and the bottom of my ear. Some blood a little bruising and a lot of cussing.

The RO commended me on my safety awareness for placing the gun on the table as I was ducking down.
He gave my buddy a little flak for covering me with his as I was tactically crouching near the floor.

I'm still not sure which one of us responded properly

kymasabe · January 21, 2006, 05:47 PM

Wow, glad to hear you're OK. I packed my gear and walked off the range a week ago as a shooter in the lane next to me was clearly not safe. He had hit the steel buckle that rides the cables a few times and I had seen ricochet off the floor...that was enought for me. Inexperienced yahoo using the biggest range rentals they had, 45. auto and a .44 mag.

stephen426 · January 21, 2006, 05:52 PM

Wow! I'd have to say this is the first time I have heard of this happening to someone. I was told that weaker powered pistols could not be used for this reason but I never heard about any incidents until now. I'm glad you are okay and that you had your back turned.

NDTerminator · January 21, 2006, 05:53 PM

Last Fall I had the Lake Region Special Incident Unit (the High Risk Entry/SWAT Team I lead) on out on the range. As is our habit, we finished up live fire training with a double elimination competition on the Dueling Tree.

We were shooting from 15 yards, when one of the rounds (180 grain 40 S&W fired from Glocks) bounced back off the steel and struck me in the neck. It felt like Hulk Hogan power chopped me.

Fortunately it had expended a lot of energy on the steel and didn't penetrate. Other than bleeding awhile & leaving a pretty good bruise/burn mark, I was OK. Understandably, I had a difficult time concentrating next round, and didn't shoot very well. SWAT operators being what they are, I got no sympathy from my troops.

It turned out to be a fully intact but deformed bullet, not a fragment. It struck me above the collar of my tac vest and below the lower edge of my helmet, essentially the only area between my belt and top of the head not covered with ballistic protection. We were unable to figure out which part of the tree it struck which caused it to come back as it did.

In all the years I've been shooting, this is the only time anything like this has ever happened to me...

SKS NUT · January 21, 2006, 05:59 PM

Your lucky.The guy upstairs was looking after you.

stephen426 · January 21, 2006, 05:59 PM

NDTerminator,

You are lucky as hell it didn't smack you square in the wind pipe. That could do some serious damage. Forget eyes and ears. I'm going in with a face mask and full body armor!

Urkslaven · January 21, 2006, 06:17 PM

Glad your ok

~Urkslaven~

NDTerminator · January 21, 2006, 06:36 PM

Yeah, it was pretty scary there for a couple minutes. I knew what happened the second the round hit, and my instant reaction was "*&#@*! This isn't good"!

You would love my guys (I sure do, but I'll never let em' know it). As soon as they ascertained Sarge wasn't going to bleed out on them, they INSISTED, no, DEMANDED I get back on the line! Even my most junior operator (affectionately known as Cannon Fodder), figured the Old Man was vulnerable and could be beaten after being shot!

As I said, lots of sympathy & warmth in this group, God bless every one...

epr105 · January 21, 2006, 09:35 PM

I have never been hit with a fragment or a ricochet but I have found fully intact bullets not cartridges but bullets by the fireing line. I have also found them on tha shotgun range at work which is seperated (by a six foot wide ten foot high dirt berm with telephone poles encaseing it) from the handun range. Both of the ranges are 25 yards. I still can not figure out how that happens and the found bullets have little or no deformity. I am glad that you guys that got hit are ok. I can only wait for my turn as I spend alot of time on the range coaching and instructing.

Eghad · January 21, 2006, 10:18 PM

The closest was at the ranges at Ft. Benning at the Army matches. some os were kicked back on the berm where Rifle competition was chowin down on some MREs when one of the guys standing forward from us got hit with an expended bullet. Stuff was coming from a pistol range over that part of the berm. Couple of guys got some expended bullets and bruises as souviners...
luckily no one was hurt any worse.

I would probably think about going to a new range.

Not so sure a waiver is going to protect them if they have a dangerous conditon and have knowledge of it and dont attempt to fix it.

CarlosDJackal · January 21, 2006, 10:25 PM

I've gotten naialed up to 25-yards away from the backstop at my club's Indoor Range. I've even had blood drawn while shooting at the 7-yards line (about 10-yards from the backstop).

I'll echo what the ROs at your range said; this is why EVERYONE SHOULD ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION. Not much you can do.

Look at this video: http://www.break.com/index/targetshot.html

snowtiger308 · January 22, 2006, 01:54 AM

I worked at a now closed range in WA. The back stop was a knife edge design with a snail decelerator. basically the traps were armor knife edges with traps on about a deg. angle or so. I ran fun shoots on paper and pins and plastic pop bottles. I was the RO on the range and I fallowed the shooter threw every step of the stage right next to them. I was cut on the arms and face about 4 times in 7 mos. I was laid out once with a Rainer ballistics Gr ball rnd. my second found that the shot was square on the knife edge and it bounced strait back. It hit me in the head just above the bill of my hat. The shooter was experienced with my range procedures so he froze and cleared his gun. I made it a point to never set a stage that put a shooter strait in front of a knife edge of a trap. I as well as others on the range ducked a few other frags as well.
good luck and keep em tight.

Optical Serenity · January 22, 2006, 02:19 AM

Wow, well, I always wear my vest to the range. Never had something that bad, but I tell you what...Hot .308 brass that gets caught between your skin and a vest hurts like hell too!

Mizzle187 · January 22, 2006, 02:52 AM

For what its worth at the range(outdoor) I go to if you use a steel plinker(pistol range only) it has to be at least 25 yards out. Not that a ricochet couldnt still happen but it greatly reduces the chances. Glad to here your fine! Probably make you safer in the long run!

Aus · January 22, 2006, 04:19 AM

Never heard of that happening at a range.
I was shooting at rocks with my .44 mag and had a round come back and hit me square between the eyes. The copper jacket stuck in the skin and it took some pulling to get it out.
I don't shoot at rocks anymore.

smince · January 22, 2006, 05:25 AM

In 1996 I was shooting in a state-wide fallin plate match in Birmingham. Not sure how many people were there, but they had six stages and all were active. I had finished on one stage and packed up my gear to move to the next. I had cautioned my wife to wear her safety glases at all times because of the possibility of splatter. As we were moving from one stage to another, I grabbed my side and fell to my knees. She asked what had happened? "I think I've just been shot!" I replied. Upon examination, there was a tear in my shirt, broken skin, slight bleeding and a whelp slightly larger than a silver dollar. I also recovered a slightly deformed .45 caliber SWC slug inside the shirt. I've still got it as a souvenier.

Don't know how it happened or who did it, but it hurt like crazy.

WhiskeyMike · January 22, 2006, 06:12 AM

About 9 months ago I was at a local outdoor shooting range. I was shooting my brand new S&W Model 15. I shot at a spinning plate that had apperently been shot at with something big enough to cup the plate. When I hit the plate it sent the round right back at me and hit me in the ribs. Hurt like heck. It didn't break the skin but it buised like I had been shot point blank with a paintball gun. It does suck, don't want it to happen again thats fur sure.

WM

January 21, 2006, 01:17 PM	#1
cscoios Member Join Date: November 19, 2005 Posts: 84	I got shot at the range After shooting I was sweeping up my brass when I got nailed square in the back. I had my back to the range and felt an enormous thud and pain. All the range lanes were full and everyone was firing, I have no idea who it was. Obviously, it was deflected from the range or trap and sent back towards the booth where I was. I've been hit with little pieces of shrapnel before, but nothing serious like this. It took my breath away. I kept feeling around my back expecting to feel a hole or some blood. I told the range officers about what happened and they said similar incidents have happened before, thats why its so important to wear eye protection. What kinda response it that? I have to sign a waiver everytime I enter the range- basically that they are not liable in the event something like this happens or you get killed. When I got home and took my shirt off my wife said the skin was broken and a nice welt in the center of my back. She asked if I wanted body armor for my birthday. Has this happened to anybody else?

January 21, 2006, 02:13 PM	#3
Harley Quinn Junior member Join Date: August 30, 2005 Location: State of KALI Posts: 1,531	Sweeping, did you find the spent round Since the round would have been spent did you find it? If the area was clean and inside, I would think you would have found the spent round? HQ

January 21, 2006, 03:27 PM	#5
ClarkEMyers Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2004 Location: PacWest Posts: 455	Not the first time it's happened but Not the first time it's happened but perhaps it's wise to avoid a crowded range. It wasn't me but we had a case where somebody who was not shooting stepped onto the range to exchange a few words without eye protection and lost an eye. I'd look at the range layout for obvious rebound hazards if it has happened repeatedly. I'd worry about lead dust coming back as well. Or I'd try another range.

January 21, 2006, 03:41 PM	#6
Alfa One Member Join Date: September 29, 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 62	I once got a seriuos richocet back nearby my private parts while we were shooting steel plates. When we do it now, I keep my mouth closed, hoping nothing will hit my face. __________________ Star Mod 30M.....what a beauty

January 21, 2006, 04:23 PM	#7
aerod1 Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2000 Location: Garland Texas U.S.A. Posts: 734	I have had a piece ricochet off the back stop and actually cut my skin on the left side of my stomach. It actually grazed the left side. Never an entire bullet that was still intact. Jim __________________ NRA Life Member, TSRA Life Member, C&R 03 FFL, Texas LTC Recreational Reloader U.S. Navy Veteran (USS Midway V-1 Division)

January 21, 2006, 01:22 PM	#2
High Planes Drifter Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2005 Posts: 558	Never anything serious like that. Your lucky. I had a reload come back at me once when I was shooting my Taurus .45 Colt revolver in the woods, it bruised my foot. Glad your ok.

January 21, 2006, 02:21 PM	#4
cscoios Member Join Date: November 19, 2005 Posts: 84	HQ- I didn't think of this until I was driving on the way home. I would have liked to have seen the size of the slug that hit me. I wasn't thinking all that clearly after the incident. The range was over crowded and at the time my lane was the only one clean. With all the people and extra brass, don't know if I would have found it anyway. I'm OK, thankfully it didn't hit me in the face or I would have been down on the ground for sure.

January 21, 2006, 04:49 PM	#9
joab Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2002 Location: Orl Fla Posts: 3,254	I was hit in the face just below my glasses by something It cut my cheek and the bottom of my ear. Some blood a little bruising and a lot of cussing. The RO commended me on my safety awareness for placing the gun on the table as I was ducking down. He gave my buddy a little flak for covering me with his as I was tactically crouching near the floor. I'm still not sure which one of us responded properly __________________ Joab the Bugman Founding member- Lords of Pomposity It's a Yankee Doodle thing

January 21, 2006, 05:47 PM	#10
kymasabe Senior Member Join Date: June 10, 2005 Location: SW Florida Posts: 2,747	Wow, glad to hear you're OK. I packed my gear and walked off the range a week ago as a shooter in the lane next to me was clearly not safe. He had hit the steel buckle that rides the cables a few times and I had seen ricochet off the floor...that was enought for me. Inexperienced yahoo using the biggest range rentals they had, 45. auto and a .44 mag. __________________ God's creatures big and small, eat them one, eat them all.

January 21, 2006, 05:52 PM	#11
stephen426 Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2005 Posts: 3,840	Wow! I'd have to say this is the first time I have heard of this happening to someone. I was told that weaker powered pistols could not be used for this reason but I never heard about any incidents until now. I'm glad you are okay and that you had your back turned. __________________ The ATF should be a convenience store instead of a government agency!

January 21, 2006, 05:53 PM	#12
NDTerminator Member Join Date: January 8, 2006 Posts: 59	Last Fall I had the Lake Region Special Incident Unit (the High Risk Entry/SWAT Team I lead) on out on the range. As is our habit, we finished up live fire training with a double elimination competition on the Dueling Tree. We were shooting from 15 yards, when one of the rounds (180 grain 40 S&W fired from Glocks) bounced back off the steel and struck me in the neck. It felt like Hulk Hogan power chopped me. Fortunately it had expended a lot of energy on the steel and didn't penetrate. Other than bleeding awhile & leaving a pretty good bruise/burn mark, I was OK. Understandably, I had a difficult time concentrating next round, and didn't shoot very well. SWAT operators being what they are, I got no sympathy from my troops. It turned out to be a fully intact but deformed bullet, not a fragment. It struck me above the collar of my tac vest and below the lower edge of my helmet, essentially the only area between my belt and top of the head not covered with ballistic protection. We were unable to figure out which part of the tree it struck which caused it to come back as it did. In all the years I've been shooting, this is the only time anything like this has ever happened to me... __________________ To my great mortification, my father once told me; "you care nothing but for dogs, shooting, and rat catching, you will be a disgrace to yourself and all your family" Charles Darwin

January 21, 2006, 05:59 PM	#13
SKS NUT Member Join Date: November 14, 2005 Location: Winnipeg,Canada Posts: 27	Your lucky.The guy upstairs was looking after you. __________________ "PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID OF THEIR GOVERNMENTS.GOVENMENTS SHOULD BE AFRAID OF THEIR PEOPLE" "V FOR VENDETTA"

January 21, 2006, 06:17 PM	#15
Urkslaven Junior member Join Date: October 26, 2005 Posts: 37	Thats Scary Glad your ok ~Urkslaven~

January 21, 2006, 06:36 PM	#16
NDTerminator Member Join Date: January 8, 2006 Posts: 59	Yeah, it was pretty scary there for a couple minutes. I knew what happened the second the round hit, and my instant reaction was "&#@! This isn't good"! You would love my guys (I sure do, but I'll never let em' know it). As soon as they ascertained Sarge wasn't going to bleed out on them, they INSISTED, no, DEMANDED I get back on the line! Even my most junior operator (affectionately known as Cannon Fodder), figured the Old Man was vulnerable and could be beaten after being shot! As I said, lots of sympathy & warmth in this group, God bless every one... __________________ To my great mortification, my father once told me; "you care nothing but for dogs, shooting, and rat catching, you will be a disgrace to yourself and all your family" Charles Darwin

January 21, 2006, 09:35 PM	#17
epr105 Senior Member Join Date: December 21, 2005 Location: Sullivan County, New York Posts: 241	I have never been hit with a fragment or a ricochet but I have found fully intact bullets not cartridges but bullets by the fireing line. I have also found them on tha shotgun range at work which is seperated (by a six foot wide ten foot high dirt berm with telephone poles encaseing it) from the handun range. Both of the ranges are 25 yards. I still can not figure out how that happens and the found bullets have little or no deformity. I am glad that you guys that got hit are ok. I can only wait for my turn as I spend alot of time on the range coaching and instructing.

January 21, 2006, 10:18 PM	#18
Eghad Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 6,231	The closest was at the ranges at Ft. Benning at the Army matches. some os were kicked back on the berm where Rifle competition was chowin down on some MREs when one of the guys standing forward from us got hit with an expended bullet. Stuff was coming from a pistol range over that part of the berm. Couple of guys got some expended bullets and bruises as souviners... luckily no one was hurt any worse. I would probably think about going to a new range. Not so sure a waiver is going to protect them if they have a dangerous conditon and have knowledge of it and dont attempt to fix it. __________________ Have a nice day at the range NRA Life Member

January 21, 2006, 10:25 PM	#19
CarlosDJackal Senior Member Join Date: May 25, 2004 Location: Central Virginia Posts: 109	I've gotten naialed up to 25-yards away from the backstop at my club's Indoor Range. I've even had blood drawn while shooting at the 7-yards line (about 10-yards from the backstop). I'll echo what the ROs at your range said; this is why EVERYONE SHOULD ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION. Not much you can do. Look at this video: http://www.break.com/index/targetshot.html

January 22, 2006, 01:54 AM	#20
snowtiger308 Junior Member Join Date: October 16, 2005 Location: Sedro-Woolley, WA Posts: 8	The blood letting begins I worked at a now closed range in WA. The back stop was a knife edge design with a snail decelerator. basically the traps were armor knife edges with traps on about a deg. angle or so. I ran fun shoots on paper and pins and plastic pop bottles. I was the RO on the range and I fallowed the shooter threw every step of the stage right next to them. I was cut on the arms and face about 4 times in 7 mos. I was laid out once with a Rainer ballistics Gr ball rnd. my second found that the shot was square on the knife edge and it bounced strait back. It hit me in the head just above the bill of my hat. The shooter was experienced with my range procedures so he froze and cleared his gun. I made it a point to never set a stage that put a shooter strait in front of a knife edge of a trap. I as well as others on the range ducked a few other frags as well. good luck and keep em tight.

January 22, 2006, 02:19 AM	#21
Optical Serenity Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2005 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 513	Wow, well, I always wear my vest to the range. Never had something that bad, but I tell you what...Hot .308 brass that gets caught between your skin and a vest hurts like hell too!

January 22, 2006, 02:52 AM	#22
Mizzle187 Junior Member Join Date: January 10, 2006 Posts: 13	For what its worth at the range(outdoor) I go to if you use a steel plinker(pistol range only) it has to be at least 25 yards out. Not that a ricochet couldnt still happen but it greatly reduces the chances. Glad to here your fine! Probably make you safer in the long run!

January 22, 2006, 04:19 AM	#23
Aus Junior member Join Date: January 15, 2006 Posts: 39	Never heard of that happening at a range. I was shooting at rocks with my .44 mag and had a round come back and hit me square between the eyes. The copper jacket stuck in the skin and it took some pulling to get it out. I don't shoot at rocks anymore.

January 22, 2006, 05:25 AM	#24
smince Junior member Join Date: October 9, 2004 Location: Northeast Alabama Posts: 2,580	In 1996 I was shooting in a state-wide fallin plate match in Birmingham. Not sure how many people were there, but they had six stages and all were active. I had finished on one stage and packed up my gear to move to the next. I had cautioned my wife to wear her safety glases at all times because of the possibility of splatter. As we were moving from one stage to another, I grabbed my side and fell to my knees. She asked what had happened? "I think I've just been shot!" I replied. Upon examination, there was a tear in my shirt, broken skin, slight bleeding and a whelp slightly larger than a silver dollar. I also recovered a slightly deformed .45 caliber SWC slug inside the shirt. I've still got it as a souvenier. Don't know how it happened or who did it, but it hurt like crazy.

January 22, 2006, 06:12 AM	#25
WhiskeyMike Member Join Date: January 3, 2005 Location: Biloxi, MS Posts: 60	About 9 months ago I was at a local outdoor shooting range. I was shooting my brand new S&W Model 15. I shot at a spinning plate that had apperently been shot at with something big enough to cup the plate. When I hit the plate it sent the round right back at me and hit me in the ribs. Hurt like heck. It didn't break the skin but it buised like I had been shot point blank with a paintball gun. It does suck, don't want it to happen again thats fur sure. WM

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